The upcoming Commonwealth Games will witness a high-tech timekeeping system, which will separate glory from mere participation.
The system installed by Tissot, a Swiss watch brand, at different venues involves some of the best available technologies in the field of timekeeping and uses computers, high-speed cameras, radio frequency tags etc.
“Sports need best technologies so that the results are accurate,” said Christophe Berthaud, a timekeeping official at the Games.
One such system has been installed at the swanky velodrome of the Indira Gandhi Indoor stadium to ensure that accurate results are transmitted in real-time to spectators in the stadium as well as to the global audiences through television.
“Cycling is one of the most difficult disciplines for timekeepers because the difference between athletes at the finish line is very little,” says Berthaud, who has previously worked at Doha Asiad and heads the timekeeping section of Tissot.
The track at the velodrome has been fitted with sensors and cameras that are synchronised with the GPS via computers to give the most accurate timing of the cyclists in different categories like pursuit, time trial.
Most of the indoor cycling competitions for the Games would be held at the velodrome that has specially built wooden tracks with corners banked up to 42 degrees.
The system also uses high-speed cameras, which can record two thousand frames per second to decide the result in extremely tight races through photo finishes.
